Facilitating trade & cementing friendships at India ITME Society’s 40th year celebration

Three-day programme from December 19-21, 2019, commencing with B2B meetings for exclusive delegation of women entrepreneurs from four African nations looking at sourcing India, kick-started the celebrations for India ITME Society. This B2B event was attended by 52 Indian Companies with 462 meetings during the day including interaction with Indian institutes and associations resulting in business and MoUs for student faculty exchange programme and also a promise for out bound delegation from India to Uganda. International Trade Centre (ITC) organised this 1st time initiative of bringing an all women delegation to India in Partnership with India ITME Society. For the Society, completing its 40th Year of service, this activity was a step towards supporting women empowerment by encouraging entrepreneurship in Textile Sector.

Apart from business, this first time overseas delegation were also treated to a special Heritage walk of GPO organised & initiated by Swati Pandey, Postmaster General, Government of India.

Among the activities offered to the betterment of the industry & for enhancing the quality of Education in Textile Engineering, a special Technical session was organized by India ITME Society. The technical presentation on “Digitisation and sustainability – Two drivers for the textile industry” by Dr.-Ing. Yves-Simon Gloy, Adjunct professor in Clemson University & RWTH Aachen Institute of Textile Technology, Germany was well received by the academic community, attended by 180+ faculty and students from various Institutes like, VJTI, ICT, DKTE, SNDT, NIFT, Kushal Institute, Bangladesh Textile Institute, etc. Dr Prof Josphat Igadwa Mwasigi, MOI University, Kenya, alumni of PSG College of Engineering, Coimbatore also made presentation and discussed collaboration with Institutes paving way for new partnership in sharing knowledge between India and Kenya. This also shall create avenue for students to explore placement opportunities with multinational companies functioning in Africa.

India ITME Society is not only about textile and textile engineering, but functions as a culturally conscious organisation promoting all aspect of India as a traditionally rich nation. To showcase rich textile heritage encaptured in our Postal stamps, India ITME Society organized philately exhibition for the invited guests from pan India & across the globe. Ms. Swati Pandey, Postmaster General, (Mumbai Region), Government of India, made a scintillating presentation on “History of Indian Postal Service”, educating audience about the services rendered by the Indian Postal Department even in the toughest of the tough conditions & how India Post plays a part not only in our heritage but also in our day to day lives even in today’s digital times.

Every invited guest, whether from India or overseas had a take away from India ITME Society’s 40th year programme. The various textile and textile engineering associations renewed their collaboration with India ITME Society through MoUs and also shared their experiences, suggestions and way forward to improve trade relations with their respective countries and organisations in a highly interactive Global Connect session in the afternoon session. The panel of speakers consisted of Industry leaders from India and across the globe.

H.E. Dorothy Tembo Deputy Executive Director, International Trade Centre, UN, spoke about importance of Strengthening Bilateral Trade Relation with Neighbouring Countries.

The evening celebrations continued into a glittering programme which was attended by dignitaries, diplomatic missions, government officials, industry stalwarts, international and domestic media, presided over by P Sathasivam, Former Chief Justice of India & Former Governor of Kerala, as the Chief Guest, H.E. Dorothy Tembo as the Guest of Honour, and Swati Pandey as Special Guest.

India ITME Society extended the mood of celebration for both young and old, across the social and business segments. Certificate of merit and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh) were awarded to the winners of the contests organised by India ITME Society in various categories. India ITME Society acknowledged the contributions and expressed gratitude to the stalwarts of the Industry who mentored growth of India ITME Society over the last four decades.

The evening brought together people from different walks of life, countries and culture, in knowledge, in business, in comradeship concluding the celebrations with live musical performance “Pristine Harmonies”.

The road ahead shall be as challenging, as unpredictable, but India ITME Society shall continue to pursue and strengthen its capabilities to lead the textile industry and textile engineering to further heights through its ambitious and unique initiatives. Humility of action, integrity of purpose and transparency of conduct will be the key traits driving India ITME Society’s growth and journey forward.